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MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY 



MEMOIR 



OF 



MARGARET SWAN CHENEY 



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BOSTON 
LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 

No. 10 Milk Street 

1889 



P I 2 1 



SRttfoetsttjj Press: 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 






TO 
THE RELATIONS AND FRIENDS 

WHO HELPED TO MAKE HER SHORT LIFE SO BLESSED AND 
SO BEAUTIFUL, 

THIS MEMOIR IS AFFECTIONATELY AND GRATEFULLY 
DEDICATED BY 

HER MOTHER. 

Forest Hill Street, 

Oct. 22, 1888. 



MEMOIR 



OF 



MARGARET SWAN CHENEY 



ly/TARGARET SWAN CHENEY was the only child of 
"*" Seth Wells and Ednah Dow Cheney. She was born 
in the old homestead at South Manchester, Sept. 8, 1855. 1 
Very soon after her father's death we returned to Boston, and 
lived at No. 94 Chestnut Street. The child's pet name was 
Daisy. We had been in France just before her birth, where 
Marguerite is the common name of that flower. She was a 
very sweet, engaging child, loving and affectionate, easily 
managed, and with very quick perceptions. Once or twice 
when very young she showed a power of reading others' 
thoughts by speaking aloud words which were in my mind, 
but which could have no meaning to her. Her health was 
generally good, and she was very fond of outdoor life, roll- 
ing and shovelling in the snow, and rejoicing in the keen 

1 For picture of this house, for genealogy and early history of the family, 
see Memoir of Seth W. Cheney, pages 1-9, and for circumstances of her birth, 
page 128. 

" William de Norwich, or de Cheney, received the estate of Blytheburgh in 
the county of Suffolk from Henry II. He left it to his daughter Margaret, who 
had a right to all wrecks thrown up on the shore, the proceeds of a ferry, and 
certain tolls." No connection is traceable between the families, but the coin- 
cidence of name is interesting. See " History and Antiquities of County of 
Suffolk," by Alfred Suckling. 



8 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 



air of winter. Although never timid, she was careful, ex- 
cept when excited by the presence of another child whom 
she would follow into danger. She was always fond of the 
pictures and casts in the room, and loved to imitate the atti- 
tudes of these figures when taking her nightly gymnastics. 
She had a large slate on which she drew with chalk accord- 
ing to her fancy. She once made a suggestive design. A 
little girl with a cloak buttoned at the throat stood by a 
guide-post, such as she had seen at the crossings in country 
roads. No other object was in sight, but the slate was 
dotted all over with white chalk to represent a snow-storm, 
and the effect was very pathetic. 

Her first school instruction was from Dec. 6, 1859, to 
April 7, 1860, in a little class of three children, — Eleanor 
May, Eva Channing, and herself, taught by my cousin, Sarah 
A. Smith. Among other things she learned simple geo- 
metrical forms, and on seeing an arched gateway, she, said, 
" There V a horizontal line with a semicircle over' it ! " 
She attended Dr. Lewis's gymnasium, and was skilful in all 
the exercises. She delighted in her ''Mother Goose," from 
which she made apt quotations, such as, " Baa, baa, black 
sheep, have you any wool ? " on seeing a very dark old 
negro-woman. 

Margaret entered the first kindergarten school established 
by Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody in Winter Street, in Novem- 
ber, 1861, and continued in the school when it was removed 
to Pinckney Street and Miss Corliss aided in its care. She 
never lost her love for her venerable teacher. During long 
summer visits to South Manchester she often attended the 
school of her father's cousin, Miss Jane Cheney, which she 
enjoyed very much. It was a delight to her to be with her 
little cousins in school as in play. She had a quick, apprehen- 
sive intelligence, and it was a pleasure to teach her. She 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. t> 

preferred what she called " a studying school " to the kinder- 
garten. She was a very happy child, and had such an affec- 
tionate relation with her little cousins that she did not seem 
to suffer from her orphaned state. One of her teachers said 
of her, " She is the one child I ever saw who did not show 
that she was an only child." Her father was a real presence 
to her ; and once, on a little child saying to her, " You have 
no father," she replied, " I have a father in heaven." She 
would look to his portrait for sympathy and approbation, and 
shrink from opening the daguerrotype case if she were con- 
scious of wrong. She was always reserved, and would not 
defend herself if unjustly accused. 

On Sundays it was our habit to read the Psalms with 
any friends who chanced to be with us. Margaret's cousins 
and Mrs. Channing and Eva were often of the party. The 
youngest first chose her favorite psalm, and Daisy could 
only follow the words on the book as I read for her ; the 
others followed in turn, the elders choosing last, and thus 
the older persons were enabled to select a new psalm and ex- 
tend the list. The children would often beg to read a few 
more of their favorites after the round was completed. On 
one occasion we read in the chamber of a sick friend, who 
gave the children ripe grapes as a communion feast. The 
most memorable time, however, was a beautiful Sunday morn- 
ing at Jefferson Hill, in 1862. Our dear friends the Mary 
Shannons and Mrs. Lydia Parker were with us. We sat by 
a little running stream, and the elders engaged in reading 
and conversation, while the children bathed and played in 
the brook. Then they sat down by us, and all joined in the 
reading ; and the very imagery of the Psalms was before us. 
We " lifted our eyes unto the hills ; " we were " beside the 
still waters ; " we saw "the sheep and cattle on a thousand 
hills;" we were "treading the green pastures ; " and we felt 

2 



10 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

the presence that was in all this beauty even as the Psalmist 
of old had done. The grown people never forgot that hour, 
and I believe it colored the children's lives. 

Margaret's favorite text was, "Be still, and know that I am 
God." She often chose the One Hundred and Thirteenth 
Psalm ; but it was the grand chorus of praise in the last 
psalm with which the children loved to conclude. I after- 
wards read the Bible to her as a book of great value, 
omitting unimportant or unsuitable chapters. She enjoyed 
the history Yery much, but was greatly amused with the ex- 
travagant stories of the Old Testament. When she and her 
friend Eva heard the account of Jesus directing Peter to find 
a penny in the mouth of a fish, they simultaneously exclaimed, 
" Why, it does not tell us whether he found it!" — a com- 
mentary throwing much light on the disputed passage. 

Margaret had a great deal of religious faith and feeling, but 
seldom talked about it. She never seemed to be troubled by 
any doubts, but lived and worked in the light of the truth as 
it came to her. She never belonged to any outward church, 
or attended service regularly. When a little girl, she took a 
fancy to go with me to the Twenty-eighth Congregational 
Church, but was rather restless during the long sermons. 
I said, " Why do you like to go to meeting ? you are very 
restless there." " I like to get out," was her reply. 1 James 
Freeman Clarke, M. Coquerel, David A. Wasson, and Samuel 
Johnson were the preachers in whom she felt most interest. 
She never bad any fear of death, but sometimes said she was 
glad she belonged to a short-lived family, and hoped not to 
have a suffering and useless old age. 

A part of two summers spent at Athol gave her the great 
delight of life on a farm, with rides in a hay-cart, berrying 
parties, etc. 

1 " Constraint that sweetens liberty." 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 11 

She was deeply interested in the war, and her little ringers 
were busy in drawing lint, braiding thread, or stringing but- 
tons for the soldiers. She attended the concert on the day 
of the Emancipation, and never forgot the enthusiasm of the 
occasion. She also visited the camp of the Fifth Cavalry 
Regiment at Readville, and enjoyed the singing of the men 
on the day they left for the seat of war ; and she cheered the 
colored regiments, as they passed through the town, until 
her little head was dizzy. 

One of her earliest benevolent interests was the New 
England Hospital for Women and Children. She always 
loved to go and see the babies. When the house in Pleasant 
Street was opened in 1864, she had a little kitten which she 
sold for the benefit of the hospital, and in every succeeding 
fair she was busily engaged. Her special interest was in the 
fern-table, and she at first assisted, and afterwards took the 
chief part with her cousins, in the arrangement of hundreds 
of ornamental transparencies and other devices sold there. 
Miss Lucy Goddard was always president of the table, 
and Margaret took great delight in working with her, she 
" learned so much " from her unrivalled skill in floral and 
decorative art. At the fair in 1881 she took the principal 
part, in connection with the apothecary of the Dispensary, 
in preparing the first pharmacy table. Her mechanical in- 
genuity found ample scope in such work. She often visited 
the children's ward, and amused the little sufferers, and she 
had a warm friendship for the physicians of the institution. 

In May, 1863, we removed to Jamaica Plain, and for some 
months had a pleasant home in the family of Mrs. S. E. B. 
Channing. Margaret began to go to what the children called 
" a studying school," kept by Miss Lane in Eliot Hall. She 
walked a mile to school, but at first had Eva for a com- 
panion, and in winter her dearly beloved sled was almost a 



12 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

friend. She was very fond of winter sports, and expert in all 
athletic exercises, such as coasting, sliding, and skating. She 
was, a little later, an enthusiastic croquet and tennis player. 
During the summer she began to learn to row at Eastern 
Point, Gloucester. 

In February, 1864, we removed to the house on Forest Hill 
Street, which was Margaret's home during the rest of her life. 
She was fond of working in the garden, preferring the harder 
work of digging the beds, cutting down small trees, burning 
the grass, etc., to more dainty occupations. She was fond of 
animals, and always had a pet cat, and occasionally birds, the 
gifts of friends. She also had a regular carpenter's bench and 
chest of tools, and made many simple, useful articles, such as 
fern-cases, knife-trays, cutting-boards, boxes, etc. She was 
also fond of sewing, and skilful with her needle. In 1865 
her cousin Harry Cheney came to live with us and attend 
school. He was a delightful companion, and they shared 
work and sport together, — liking the care of the hens, the 
carpentry-work, and the shovelling of snow rather better than 
the dancing-school. He was with us six years, and she had in 
him the delight of a brother's love and fellowship. She was 
very early interested in chemistry, trying simple experiments, 
such as the precipitation of camphor and the effervescence 
of acids and alkalis, and was jokingly called " the professor 
of chemistry." 

I decided to send Margaret to the public schools, believing 
that she could obtain a more thorough education there than 
anywhere else. She entered the second division of the first 
class of the Hillside School, Nov. 9, 1868. At first the sur- 
roundings were very strange, and she was unhappy. It was 
left entirely to herself to decide, at the end of a week, whether 
she would continue there or go to a private school, and on 
the following Monday she went of her own accord to school, 



MEMOIR OP MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 13 

and returned radiantly happy, saying school was " first-rate." 
She always expressed great satisfaction with the instruction 
received there, especially in arithmetic^ With the exception 
of a few months' absence, fully approved by the teacher, she 
remained at the Hillside School, and graduated June 28, 
1870, aged fourteen years, nine months. 

In the autumn of 1870 she entered the Eliot High School 
at Jamaica Plain. She was a little older than the average of 
those entering the school, and her standing by examination 
was said to be the highest ever reached. She valued the 
instruction of the principal, Mr. Howe, and of Miss Lothrop, 
the head assistant. History and science were her favorite 
studies. She did not excel in languages, which she always 
learned more readily by ear than from books. She rarely 
brought her lessons home to study, but learned them well 
by attention during the allotted hours at school ; and then 
she enjoyed the freedom of home. Her lessons did not worry 
her, and I did not think the course at school prejudicial to 
her health. She made there many pleasant friendships. In 
the spring of 1872, however, she had some trouble in her eyes, 
and it was thought best for her to give up study for a while. 
For several weeks she devoted her mornings to housekeeping, 
taking charge of the cooking of the family. Some attempts 
at scientific housekeeping were made ; but after the ruin of 
two expensive thermometers in testing the heat of the oven, 
she returned to the old method of putting her hand in. She 
excelled in all housework, and thoroughly delighted in prac- 
tical w r ork. She was fond of the theatre, and during these 
years had frequent opportunity of gratifying her taste, as her 
cousin Arthur Cheney was proprietor of the Globe Theatre. 
She enjoyed private theatricals, and often acted in little plays 
at our own house, beside aiding in charades, etc., at Man- 
chester, and managing little plays for the children there. 



14 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

In 1869 we spent a few days with some dear cousins at 
the light-house on Thatcher's Island. Margaret enjoyed the 
novelty and beaut}^ £>f the situation intensely, and here 
formed that friendship for Mrs. Maria H. Bray which was 
a blessing to her to the latest day of her life. She took great 
interest in my little story, " Faithful to the Light," founded 
on an incident in Mrs. Bray's experience. 

In the spring of this year 1869 we took a memorable jour- 
ney. By the wish of the New England Freedman's Aid 
Society, Miss Lucre tia Crocker and I visited the freedmen's 
schools under their care, and Margaret accompanied us. It 
was a great refreshment to the teachers to have a visit from 
a bright, sunny girl, and she formed lasting ties of affection 
with many of them, while the colored people felt delighted at 
her sympathy and interest. She was utterly free from any 
prejudice against the negro, or any caste feeling, and went 
among the people as simply and naturally as among her own 
relations. The children brought her flowers, and young lads 
serenaded her, and she saw and enjoyed all this new and 
strange phase of life ; while the companionship of so superior 
a woman as Miss Crocker, whom she dearly loved, and whom 
she aided in keeping the accounts of the journey, was always 
elevating and delightful. She thought it great fun when we 
were turned out of a boarding-house for inviting a colored 
gentleman to sit down in the parlor, rejoicing that she should 
have an adventure to write to her grandmother and aunts. 
She always counted this the richest journey of her life, and 
never lost her interest in the people she thus visited. At 
the yearly festivals of freedmen's teachers she was an active 
worker, and with her young companions Eva Channing and 
Eleanor May, took the bouquets of flowers from the chair- 
man and distributed them to the teachers. 

The summer at Woodstock in 1870 gave her the great 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 15 

enjoyment of the Franconia scenery, and a good opportunity 
to learn driving. She was a brave and expert driver, and 
never failed in any emergency. She was less fond of horse- 
back riding, as she suffered from it for several days. A few 
days spent at Newburg, N. Y., with her father's dear friend, 
Henry K. Brown, and his wife, were full of exquisite artistic 
pleasure. I shall never forget her dreamy enjoyment of the 
scenery of the Hudson as we glided over the smooth waters. 

She was fond of music, and at an early age delighted espe- 
cially in the music of the Catholic Church. She took les- 
sons on the piano from Miss D wight, and afterwards in 
singing from various good teachers ; but she did not acquire 
satisfactory skill in music, probably from not devoting suf- 
ficient time to practising. She was a member of a Choral 
Union in West Roxbury, and took part in the Peace Ju- 
bilee in 1872. She extremely enjoyed practising the great 
oratorio music. The orchestral concerts were always a 
delight. 

In the summer of 1872 Margaret spent several weeks 
among the relations of her Grandfather Littlehale, at St. 
John, N. B. She enjoyed the novelty of the life there, and 
the grand scenes of the river and tide. She liked going 
out in a rough fishing-boat to catch fish or " bob for eels." 
A trip to Digby, N. S., gave her a pleasure never forgotten. 
Here she " astonished the natives " by her courage and skill 
in rowing. 

In the autumn her cousin Louise Cheney came to spend the 
winter with her, and under the instruction of Miss Augusta 
R. Curtis, Margaret studied Latin, Vegetable Physiology, 
and Chemistry. In the following spring Miss Alexander, 
Miss Lucia M. Peabody, and Miss Cora Clarke formed a 
class with her for chemical laboratory work in a small attic 
room. They worked here for two seasons, going through 



16 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

Eliot and Storer's General Chemistry, and supplementing 
the lessons of the Lowell Institute by extra laboratory work 
in Quantitative Analysis and Mineralogy. She took lessons 
of Mme. Brazier in drawing, and was making good progress, 
but was obliged to give up the work on account of increas- 
ing trouble in her eyes. So severe did the pain become, that 
in 1873 she put herself under the care of Dr. Derby, who 
recommended a course of gymnastic reading, beginning with 
one minute and going on to two hours, three times a day. 
She pursued it faithfully, but it did her no good, except that 
she learned that she could use her eyes six hours a day 
without injury. By his direction she read only very light 
literature, and had quite enough of it. She heartily enjoyed 
the novels of Scott, Dickens, George Eliot, Mrs. Gaskell, 
etc., but she spent very little time in ordinary novel or 
magazine reading. When a child she was fond of the best 
poetry, especially Milton's ; but in later life it was hardly 
her taste, although she never lost her appreciation of fine 
things. She delighted in seeing Shakspeare acted, and in 
reading the same plays afterwards, " A Midsummer Night's 
Dream " being her favorite. 

In the summer of 1873 we spent seven weeks at Goulds- 
borough, Me., with the Channings and Misses Curtis and 
Graupner. The simple primitive life was entirely to her 
taste, and here she became interested in the study of ferns. 
She began a collection of New England ferns, which she 
made complete, and to which she added many foreign speci- 
mens. She enjoyed walking and rowing to the utmost. A 
few days at Mt. Desert, and a short visit to her grandmother 
and aunts, then at North Conway, completed a rich summer. 
In the autumn we went to the West, and she had a sight 
of Niagara. We went to Detroit, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Du- 
buque, and St. Louis, and in all these places we visited pri- 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 17 

vate families, and she had an opportunity to know and love 
the great West. She was very fond of travelling, and was 
thoroughly capable in managing all the plans and affairs of 
a journey. We made a similar journey in the spring of 1875, 
spending most of the time in Detroit and Chicago. 

The summer of 1871 was passed partly at York, Me., and 
partly at Royalton, Vt., where she had great pleasure in 
the country life, and in botanizing with her friends Miss 
Lucy Gocldard and Miss Peabody. This recalls a striking 
trait, — her enjoyment of the society of her elders. I often 
had to urge her to fulfil her social duties toward her young 
acquaintances, but she was always ready to visit my old or 
invalid friends, and this not from kindness, but from pure 
inclination. No storm would keep her from going where 
her presence carried joy and comfort. 

A few weeks at Swampscott in 1875 were especially en- 
joyable, as we had Mr. Arthur Cheney's house, where we 
lived in very independent fashion, mostly on fish, bread, and 
blackberries, and with many pleasant visits from friends. In 
the autumn Margaret joined a class at the Lowell Institute 
in Lithology, and had some field excursions with them. 

The Centennial } 7 ear was marked by severe family bereave- 
ments. A visit to her cousin Mrs. Piatt, in New York, had 
been planned in March, and we stopped at South Manchester 
on the way. During the ten days we remained there her 
cousin Emily, much older than herself, but very dear to her, 
died of pneumonia, and a few days after, her beloved Uncle 
Ward died of the same disease. On the day of his funeral 
we were summoned home to my mother stricken with paraly- 
sis, who died in a week. She was Margaret's only grand- 
parent, and the relation had always been most tender and 
loving. During her illness another cousin, Caroline, whom 
she had known less, also died. This was her first experience 



18 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

of close and deep bereavement. While very tender and 
sympathetic, Margaret was brave and calm in the time of 
sorrow and trouble, and always seemed to be more occupied 
in mitigating the grief of others than in indulging her own. 
She was not very emotional, and lively outward expression 
in words was not natural to her. She was a help and 
strength in every time of trouble, and was not so much 
self-sacrificing, as unconscious of self in her love and care 
for others. The summer was spent at Willow Cottage, 
Magnolia. Her Cousin Knight's family and other friends 
filled the house, and she thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful 
place, which became as a home to her. Children loved her 
very dearly, for she never wearied in efforts to please them. 
In her pocket were generally found bits of soft pine, from 
which she cut for them little boats or other toys. One little 
girl, whom she amused this summer through the tedious 
hours of scarlet fever, said, " When I grow up I shall dress 
dolls for little girls, just like Daisy." 

In the autumn we went to the Centennial Exposition and 
Women's Congress at Philadelphia, being kindly enter- 
tained at private houses during the two weeks spent there. 
Margaret especially enjoyed the rich treasures of the mineral 
world and the agricultural displays. A few days were 
spent at the Delaware Water Gap, and a week or more at 
Syracuse, N. Y. On our return we spent two nights with 
Professor Mitchell at Vassar, and were much interested in 
the college. Unfortunately clouds prevented her looking 
through the telescope. 

A receipt for tuition at the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology is dated Nov. 2, 1876. Margaret became a 
special student of Chemistry, and worked in the Women's 
Laboratory under the direction of Mrs. Richards. She made 
a study of nickel, and was fortunate enough to discover "a 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 19 

new and ready method for the estimation of nickel in pyr- 
rhotites and mattes." Experiments testing this suggestion 
were made with Mrs. Richards, who published an account 
of the work in the American Journal of Science and Arts, 
Vol. XIV., September, 1877, generously giving her young 
assistant full credit for her share in it. The paper was 
translated for a German scientific periodical. She was a 
member of the Appalachian Club, and greatly enjoyed the 
excursions to Monadnoc, Wachusett, etc. In 1876, with 
some members of the Club, she made a memorable excur- 
sion to Mt. Adams, then little visited, and camped over 
night near the summit. 

In May, 1877, we went to Europe. Her two aunts, Mary 
F. and Helen P. Littlehale, and two of her schoolmates, the 
Misses Williams, accompanied us. The summer was spent 
in travelling in Ireland, England, Scotland, Holland, Bel- 
gium, Germany, etc. Margaret was very fond of travelling, 
and heartily enjoyed the trip. She took charge of laying 
Out the route, and of finding the way about cities by maps. 
She also kept the accounts of the party. She was not fond 
of letter- writing, and as she was always unable to use her 
eyes freely in the evening, she has not left a voluminous 
correspondence even of this time. She acquired languages 
readily by ear, and would often make her way in speak- 
ing better than those who knew more. A month was 
spent in Paris in the autumn, and then we went to Italy, 
which was full of charms for her. She had a rich enjoy- 
ment in art, and made an interesting collection of photo- 
graphs. At Florence she took lessons in Italian and singing. 
Our residence in Rome was terribly saddened by the illness 
and death of her dear Aunt Helen, for whom she ever had 
a profound admiration and affection. One of her friends 
says, " I shall never forget Margaret's expression at that 



20 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

time, — so full of feeling, yet so calm and strong." She 
was in Italy at the death of Victor Emmanuel and Pius IX., 
and saw both lying in state in Rome, and she attended 
the levee of Leo XIII. Sitting by her aunt's bedside in 
the earliest days of her illness, she began to arrange a col- 
lection of flowers which she had been gathering on the 
journey ; and when after her aunt's death we went to Al- 
bano for a few weeks' rest, she found great relief in botanical 
studies, and in analyzing and pressing the spring flowers 
found there. 

We went on to Naples, returned to Florence and Rome 
for a short time, and spent the summer in Switzerland. 
Here Margaret found great delight in Alpine excursions. 
We always walked over all the passes which were inacces- 
sible to carriages. Mrs. Channing and her daughter were 
with us ; and while the elders took frequent rests, the girls 
had opportunity for gathering flowers. We found that by 
allowing about one third more time than Baedeker did, we 
could accomplish the day's journey without serious fatigue. 
In this way we went over the Grimsel, the Gemini Pass, as- 
cended from Lauterbrunnen to Miirren, and from Zermatt 
to the Gornergrat, beside other shorter excursions. Mar- 
garet and her friend Eva went up Piz Languard and to the 
Jardin at Chamounix. Margaret was brave and adventurous, 
but never rash. She enjoyed these excursions fully, and was 
in fine health and vigor from this open-air life. She made a 
collection of Alpine flowers of great interest. 

Leaving the rest of the party, we went with our friend Miss 
Lobdell to Spain, where Margaret had a feast of enjoyment 
in the glorious Murillos, in the Moorish architecture, in the 
quaint life of the people, and the novelty of all the surround- 
ings. A few weeks in Paris, of which she was very fond, 
gave her the opportunity of seeing the Exposition, of go- 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 21 

ing up in a " captive balloon," and of revisiting the Louvre. 
Among her great enjoyments abroad was the church music. 
Her religious feeling found expression in it apart from all 
considerations of dogma. 

We sailed from Liverpool for home Oct. 17, 1878. After 
short visits to friends, and household preparations, Margaret 
devoted herself to a fern-table at the Hospital Fair, and then 
resumed her work at the Institute. Her cousin Frank Cheney 
became a member of the household and entered the Institute, 
which gave her great pleasure. Her studies were in Chem- 
istry, Biology, Botany, and Metallurgy. 

She was much interested in the idea of instructing children 
in science, especially in the public schools. In 1879 and 1880 
she gave courses of lessons in Botany to classes of children, 
under the auspices of the Eliot School, Jamaica Plain ; and 
in the spring of 1880 she gave lessons at Miss Wesselhoeft's 
school. In these lessons she endeavored to carry out the 
plan of teaching children directly from natural objects. 

In the autumn of 1879 she had a class of her little cousins 
at South Manchester in the elements of Chemistry. She il- 
lustrated the action of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, lime, etc., 
and explained the effects of fermentation and combustion. 
The children were very much interested, as their abstracts 
show. She gave them the first idea of chemical nomenclature, 
and one little fellow for a long time spoke of water as H 2 O. 
He telephoned to her one day : " What is the symbol for 
air?" Two little lads came in one day much delighted at 
having collected C 2 from the bung-hole of a barrel of new 
cider. 

She prepared a paper on " The Growth of a Plant," which 
she read before the workingwomen of Providence, under the 
direction of Mrs. Churchill. They were much delighted with 
it, and she was asked to read it elsewhere ; but she did not 



22 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

feel ready to give much time to lecturing while so busy with 
her studies, and also wished to make the paper more complete. 
She once read a short paper at the New England Women's 
Club, on Scientific Women. She had engaged to give a 
course of lessons in the public schools on Mineralogy ; and 
one of her last conscious cares was to ask me to write to 
Miss Crocker, expressing her regret at having to give it up. 

In May, 1878, a number of young women formed a scientific 
club, for mutual improvement. They met once a month for 
the reading of papers and discussion of their work. Marga- 
ret joined this association in October, 1878, and was warmly 
interested in it, and deeply attached to the friends whom 
similarity of taste had thus united. She became its secretary, 
in May, 1879. The subjects assigned to her for study were, 
44 The Plants in Action, their Organs and their Function," and 
44 Vascular Cryptogamy." In October, 1881, she gave to the 
Society an 44 Account of a Fernery ; " and in February, 1882, 
she read 44 Some Notes on the Useful Plants of the Various 
Orders." In 1879 and again in 1881 she attended the sum- 
mer course of lessons in Botany at Cambridge. Her cousin 
Mary, whose companionship made stud}' delightful, went with 
her the first summer ; but her interest did not flag without it 
the second year. Professor Goodale's note will show his 
opinion of her work there. She enjoyed the hour of lunch, 
when they sat under a tree and had pleasant conversation. 

In 1880 she became a member of the Society to Encourage 
Studies at home, and was a correspondent of the Science De- 
partment, under the direction of Mrs. Richards. Her first 
correspondent was Mrs. C, of Virginia. The sympathy 
which Margaret felt for this lady in a severe bereavement 
gave her a special interest in the correspondence. She was 
rejoiced to find that botanical studies interested her pupil 
and helped to soothe her grief, and was indefatigable in aid- 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 23 

ing her choice of reading, and in sending her specimens 
and microscopic slides. Her letters to this pupil are the 
most interesting part of her correspondence ; for they show 
the spirit of love and religion in which she carried out the 
study of Nature. She writes once : " When you study a 
plant, first look at it and enjoy its beauty, then analyze it." 
No one could see her study a flower and think " the picking 
to pieces " was anything but a reverent unfolding of the outer 
covers to reveal the hidden life and beauty. She had a few 
other pupils for short periods, but none whom she enjoyed 
so much. 

She was elected a member of the American Association 
for the Advancement of Science at the meeting in Boston 
in 1880. She joined the New England Women's Club at an 
early date, and was always a believer in Woman Suffrage, 
being interested in all movements for woman's education and 
advancement. 

In the autumn of 1881 she attended Professor Wing's 
lectures on Organic Chemistry, and worked in the laboratory 
until the close of the term in February. She had great delight 
in the theory as well as the practice of chemistry, and loved to 
explain to me its symbolism and arrangement of combinations. 

In February, 1882, we left home with her Cousin Frank to 
join her Uncle Frank's family in California. We left February 
20, and returned June 20. The journey was full of interest 
and pleasure. She especially enjoyed the marvellous flora 
of that region, and made a collection of flowers of great 
interest and value. 1 

The trips to Southern California, to the Geysers, and to 
the Yosemite were full of excitement and interest. The 

1 She had begun the classification and arrangement of this collection, which 
was completed in the most perfect manner by the kindness and skill of Miss 
S. Minns. 



24 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

death of her Uncle Rush called the party home a little pre- 
maturely, but Margaret had a rich store of memories. A week 
was spent in South Manchester, and then she returned to her 
own quiet home in Jamaica Plain. Here she passed two rich 
and happy months. She was preparing her California speci- 
mens, and also arranging a collection of her Uncle John's en- 
gravings in a new book. She devoted the morning hours to 
the microscope, carrying on the study of the embryology of 
the Plantain family, which she had begun under Professor 
Goodale's guidance, and for which she had gathered speci- 
mens in California. She often called me to look at something 
beautiful under the microscope. 

The return of her friends the Channings brightened the 
summer. She went with her cousins to the Memorial Service 
to Mr. Emerson at Concord, visited his grave, and took tea at 
the Old Manse. Never had she seemed in better health or 
spirits ; never was life more rich and beautiful to herself or 
more precious to her friends. August 22 we went to the 
meeting of the Scientific Association at Montreal. She en- 
joyed the discussions and the social meetings, the trips to 
Ottawa and Quebec, and especially a day passed at the farm 
with Mrs. Anne Jack, whom we had known through the So- 
ciety for Studies at Home. We returned home September 1. 
September 4 we went to Magnolia for a few weeks of refresh- 
ment. She appeared well and vigorous, engaging for a few 
days in all the pleasures of the place, — driving, bathing, 
tennis, and bowling. On her birthday, September 8, she 
said she was thankful for her life, as she always felt. 

She was taken ill September 12. Dr. Gill, her cousin, 
saw her September 14, and at once thought it was an at- 
tack of typhoid fever so violent as to leave little hope of re- 
covery. Dr. Bell and Dr. Wesselhoeft held the same opinion. 
Delirium and wandering soon appeared, but after the first 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 25 

few days she had little conscious suffering. She remembered 
dear friends as long as she was conscious. We had every 
possible help and kindness from our hosts. She died without 
a sign, on the morning of September 22, the brain being 
paralyzed. The funeral services at her home were held on 
Sunday, the 24th, by James Freeman Clarke. The body 
was taken to South Manchester and laid in the old burial- 
ground beside her father. In the repose of death her fea- 
tures were of angelic beauty. 

There are many daguerrotypes and photographs made at 
intervals during her whole life, the latest one by Hardy, taken 
for the graduating class at the Institute. It is a clear, good 
photograph, but rather prosaic, with no artistic effect ; a stand- 
ing one, taken in Florence, is generally preferred. From this, 
Mr. George Fuller made the portrait, the last one he ever 
finished, which was completed Jan. 1, 1884. He was an old 
friend of her father, and performed his work with the greatest 
tenderness and reverence. He had the assistance of suggestion 
and criticism from Mr. Kimberley, who had known her from 
babyhood. The picture does not give quite the richness and 
fulness of activity which struck every one who saw her in 
her outdoor life, but it is very true to her more contemplative 
aspect, and gives the tender love and thought, and the un- 
consciousness of self which was so marked a characteristic. 
Mothers often said of her, " She is just what I wish my daugh- 
ters to be." Her unconsciousness was one of her rarest traits. 
She liked affection and attention, but had no coquetry in her 
nature. After her death, I was told of her great influence 
over the young men of her acquaintance, in giving them the 
highest standard of purity and respect for woman. 

Soon after Margaret's death some of her friends, especially 
those interested in her scientific work, proposed a memorial of 

4 



26 . MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

her in the institution where she studied so long, and in which 
she was so deeply interested, — the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology. It took the form of a reading-room for the 
use of the women students of the Institute, — a quiet place 
where they could rest or study in the intervals between their 
lectures or hours of work. The trustees kindly offered a 
sufficient room 'in a building then in process of erection for 
laboratory purposes. It was fitted up and furnished, and is 
kept in order by her friends, and named the Margaret Chenej 7, 
Reading-Room. It has proved a very useful as well as de- 
lightful arrangement for the women who are enjoying the 
benefit of this noble institution. 

The following portion of a note from Professor Goodale to 
Miss Curtis will show the estimation in which Margaret was 
held by her teachers : — 

It will give me very great pleasure to look over the drawings 
made by Miss Cheney, and it shall be my endeavor to utilize a part 
of them in my book ; for I should be most happy to let others know 
what I have known so long, — how thoroughly careful, honest, and 
good her work was. . . . 

Miss Cheney's death is a great affliction to us all, for we had learned 
to appreciate her noble qualities of mind and her sweet character. 
It will always be a pleasure to me that I was so fortunate as to 
know her well. You are aware that much of the work which I have 
asked our pupils to do is irksome at first, and unattractive at best ; 
but I do not remember that our friend ever betra} T ed the slightest 
anno3 T ance or impatience under the provocation of very tedious 
tasks. Her equanimity alwaj's made others feel ashamed of their 
impatience. I w T ish I could write Mrs. Cheney some note which 
would conve} T my sincere sympathy and an expression of the great 
loss which we have all sustained. . . . 

Yours veiy faithfully, 

G. L. Goodale. 
Cambridge, October 12. 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 27 

Extract from a Notice by Mrs. Mary Bushnell Cheney. 

In her unconventional ways and in many of her childish tastes 
she resembled a boy. She loved to dig, to row, to take care- of 
hens, to whittle, to play jackstones, to use tools, to run, to swim, 
to live. In the child's pocket were marbles, chips, and knives, 
and later she was always methodically equipped with pocket-lens, 
pencil, and penknife. Her watch kept time, and so did she. She 
was a good traveller, and could plan and execute the details of a 
journey for a large party. The practical had a strong develop- 
ment in her. At the same time she was thoroughly and beauti- 
fully feminine. She could sew or cook, or care for a child or a 
sick friend as well and as gladly as she could use the microscope, 
drive a nail, play tennis, or work in the laboratory. Her voice was 
low and gentle, her manner retiring and artless in its freedom from 
self-consciousness. She loved the societ}' of her elders and of 
little children, and was a true and devoted comrade to the few 
chosen friends of her own age, but in what is called society was 
less at home. Perhaps social ambition and the desire to shine 
were unknown to her ; but she loved to minister to the sick and 
sorrowful, and to be useful at home, and she did not think of self 
in sacrificing self. Her deep reserve, the truth and constancy of 
her affections, her maiden purity, and the calmness of her religious 
trust were all legible in the shining; of her beautiful eves. Never 
was a gentler, more unselfish and womanly woman, never a girl 
more simple and honest, never a mind more open to truth in its 
many shapes or more read} T for its service. 

Extracts from Letters to Mrs. C. 

October 26, 1880. 
My dear Mrs. C, — Miss Minns has sent me your letter re- 
questing me to correspond with }OU in the Botany course. It 
seems to me that botan}' is a good science to begin with, because 
the illustrations can be found so easily in one's daily life. It is 
simpler than zoology, and so better to begin with. As you say }xm 
have never studied this subject at all, I should advise you to read 
first, Gray's little book," How Plants Grow." I enclose an adver- 



28 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

tisement of it. Afterwards, I think you had best take Gray's 
" New Text Book of Botany." Try, as far as possible, to get 
specimens to illustrate what you read, — leaves, flowers, etc. I 
would plant some seeds as soon as possible, so as to have seed- 
lings to compare with the figures in the book. 

Peas, beans, morning-glories, corn, wmeat, barley, etc., are good. 
I will send you a few pine-seeds, as they are difficult to get, 
and illustrate one kind of embryo. Plant these seeds at intervals 
of a few da} T s or a week, so as to have seedlings in various stages 
of growth. Compare these with seeds of the same kind merely 
soaked, and make out the correspondence of the parts of one and 
the other. I should like you to make drawings of these, indicating 
the corresponding parts. It is most useful to make these draw- 
ings, as it fixes the object more strongly in the mind. These ma}' 
be mere outlines, or, if (as you seem interested in art) perhaps 
you draw also, you may like to make more elaborate drawings. 
When you send me your memory notes, please enclose a few of 
the sketches. 

I hope 3 t ou will find this study interesting, as I have no doubt 
you will, especially if } r ou teach it to your little boy as you go 
along, which will be very pleasant both for him and you. It seems 
to me veiy young children may be made to take an interest in flow- 
ers and learn about them, if taught in the right way ; that is, from 
the flowers themselves. 

If I have omitted any explanations that you need in beginning 
3'our study, please let me know, and I will do my best to make it 
clear and easy for you. 

Yours very truly, 

Margaret S. Cheney. 

Jamaica Plain, April 19, 1881. 

I think you would enjoy Kerner's "Flowers and Their Unbid- 
den Guests," and I would advise you to read that next. If you 
cannot get that, Darwin's "Forms of Flowers" is a charming 
book. 

Your letter was fragrant with the violet you sent. I enclose a 
little wall-flower, of which I am very fond, it is so fragrant. I en- 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 29 

close also a thin section of oak wood, which shows the medullary 
rays, the rings of annual growth, and the ducts in the wood. 

Horse-chestnut buds, or apple-tree branches, or pussy willows, 
if kept in winter, will often open in the house, and at least you 
can stud}' the buds and see them in their winter garments. 

I was very glad to hear from you, but sorry to learn of your 
great loss. I can understand how hard it must be for you to do 
anything ; but it seems to me that natural science is veiy sooth- 
ing and cheering, one can put so much love into it. I think the 
more one studies and becomes acquainted with flowers, the more 
one loves them. k ' Familiarity " with them certainly "does not 
breed contempt." 

I am glad you enjoyed Wallace's " Tropical Nature." I think 
it is a beautiful book. He writes so lovingly and religiously about 
eveiything. He always seems to seek the truth, state it plainly and 
yet beautifully. I enjoyed his travels in the Amazon and Rio Negro 

very much. . . . 

May 14, 1881. 

I wonder why }'Ou think I do not believe in the theon T of evolu- 
tion? It seems to me to be a very useful working hypothesis, and 
has thrown wonderful. light upon natural science. I do not believe 
that we } T et fully understand the phenomena that it attempts to ex- 
plain ; but that it has done a great good, and will become more and 
more demonstrated, I certainh T do believe. 

That one is necessarily a Materialist because one believes in 
evolution, I do not admit; for, granting that all our animals and 
plants have been evolved from one original form, there must al- 
ways be something behind that. We do not yet understand what 
this power of life is. 

I think the only wa}' to become familiar with the botanical names 
of plants is to analyze as man}' as you can, and try and remember 
them. Of course, it is impossible to remember a great many, but 
some will stick by you, and gradually 3-011 will learn more and 
more. I would press and name each flower as you analj'ze it, and 
so }'Ou will get a collection that you can refer to. 

I have enjoyed corresponding with you veiy much this winter, 
and should be veiy glad to continue next winter. 



30 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

November 28, 1881. 

I send 3'ou b} r same mail a few microscopic slides. They are 
not well mounted, and I feel rather ashamed to send them. But 
the} T are simpler than the others I have, and so I would rather jou 
would try them first. I would get with your microscope either an 
inch and one-quarter inch objective, or a three-fourths and one- 
fifth inch objective. Either of these pairs makes a useful combina- 
tion. It is generally best to look first with the lower power, — the 
inch objective, for example, — then with the higher. When } T ou 
have taken a general view of the object, choose a clear, thin place 
where the cells are distinct, and make a sketch of what } t ou can 
see in the field. 

Do not attempt to draw the whole object if it is too large for the 
field. Take pains to accustom yourself to look with both eyes 
open ; it is very important, and if you begin at first it is soon 
learned. If you shut one eye it is much more likely to make your 
e}'es ache, because it is an effort to keep it shut. Do not work too 
long at once. An hour at a time, to begin with, is enough, and 
two hours is enough at any time or for any one. Have your 
microscope stand high enough so that when the stand is slightly 
tipped back you can easily look through it without stooping. 
Have plenty of light (if you can get it) ; not direct sunlight, as 
a general thing. 

Do not be disappointed if the objects do not look exactly like 
the picture in the book ; they often do not, because the pictures are 
often more magnified, and the}- are chosen from man} T specimens ; 
and the best specimen is of course drawn. Please send me some 
of your drawings. 

I would begin with No. 9, pollen, and then I would take some 
pollen of any flowers you may happen to have, and look at 
that. Pollen is formed of simple cells, and so will be simple 
to begin with. Next, take No. 4, pith. This is simply cells, 
and is the simplest form of cellular tissue parenchyma. Do 
not be deceived by air-bubbles. In this specimen you will 
see lots of black-looking tilings, round, with a light spot in the 
middle ; they are air-bubbles, and are there only because it is 
not well mounted. ... 



MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 31 

I hope you will succeed well with the microscope ; it is rather 
hard in the beginning, I think, not to have some one to show you 
how. If you want any more information about the use of it, 
please let me know, and I will help you all I can. 

February 11, 1882. 

I am very sorry that 3-011 have been ill again. You do seem to 
have such a hard time, and you are a wonder to me that you can 
study at all, while you are so ill. 

I hope you will enjo} T the ferns, and I meant you to keep them 
all, for I have plenty more, and these are duplicates. 1 only don't 
want you to work too hard on them. Begin by admiring their 
beaut}', which I am sure you do, and then study them, a few at 
a time. Please keep the slides, for I do not want them at pres- 
ent ; and as we are going away soon, I had rather not have them 
sent here. 

We are going, a week from Monda}', to California for about five 
months. I shall always have letters forwarded from here, and so 
you had better continue to direct to me here, as we may be moving 
around, there. I shall tr} T to send you some ferns from there, 
which may interest you ; and I shall hope to hear from you just 
the same. . . . 

I wish I could send you some health and strength, but I can 
only send my good wishes. 

Santa Barbara, Cal., March 19, 1882. 

I wish I could send }'ou some of the beaut t y and enjoyment of 
this lovely place. We have had a week of rain, but now it has 
cleared off, and the hills are covered with green grass and lovely 
flowers. I find it hard work to press all the flowers I find. I have 
not found many ferns yet, for it has been too wet to go on the 
hills. 

I am glad you have enjoj-ed the slides, and hope you will con- 
tinue to work with the microscope as much as you can. Have you 
a "camera lucida " with your microscope? I think 3-011 might 
find it a help in drawing. It is a little fuss}- to use at first, but 
is very useful when 3-011 get used to it. . . . 



32 MEMOIR OF MARGARET SWAN CHENEY. 

I have been very much interested in a cliff on the beach here, 
which is full of little shells and corals. It seems to be an old 
beach, or bottom of the sea, and between layers of harder rock 
are strata of soft mud filled with shells. 

It is lovely to have the flowers and trees all out in March. The 
eucalyptus-tree is very common here ; it grows very rapidly, and 
is used as a shade tree. The pepper-tree is also very abundant. 
We have oranges and limes in abundance. 

Margaret S. Cheney. 



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